About Carrie Underwood

Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol. Underwood has since become a multi-platinum selling recording artist, a multiple Grammy Award winner, was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, is a three-time Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Female Vocalist winner, and the current ACM Entertainer of the Year. She is the first ever female artist to win back-to-back Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards for Entertainer of the Year (2009/2010).

Her debut album, Some Hearts, was certified seven times platinum, and as of February 2006, was the fastest selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history. It was also the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history, as of February 2008. Some Hearts yielded three number one hits on the country charts in the United States: "Jesus, Take the Wheel", "Wasted" and "Before He Cheats", her biggest hit to date. She also released the song she sung on the American Idol final round, "Inside Your Heaven", which gave Underwood her first Billboard Hot 100 number one. Some Hearts was recently titled the Top Country Album of the Decade.

Her second album, Carnival Ride, was released on October 23, 2007. It had sold over 3 million copies as of January 2008, and produced five number one country hits, "So Small", "All-American Girl", "Last Name", "Just a Dream" and "I Told You So".

Underwood released her third album, Play On, on November 3, 2009. Her first single off the album, "Cowboy Casanova", was released to country radio on September 14, 2009. The single peaked at number one on the country charts, which made Underwood the artist with the most top 10s on the country chart among solo women of the decade, followed by Faith Hill and Martina McBride each with 9. "Cowboy Casanova" has now sold over 1 million copies, thus becoming the fifth single of Underwood's to go Platinum. In November 2009, Underwood attained total domestic album sales of 11 million and became the highest-selling American Idol artist in the United States, surpassing Kelly Clarkson by approximately 1,000,000 units. Clarkson, however, remains the highest-selling American Idol alum overall, with over 23 million albums sold worldwide to Underwood's 16 million. On March 30, 2010, Underwood's second single from "Play On", "Temporary Home", reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Charts for the week of April 10, 2010, thus becoming Underwood's 9th non-consecutive #1 single on this chart in her career.

Early life

Carrie Marie Underwood was born to Stephen and Carole Underwood on March 10, 1983 in Muskogee, Oklahoma. She was raised on her parents' farm in the rural town of Checotah, Oklahoma.[11] She has two older sisters, Shanna Means and Stephanie Shelton. Her father worked in a sawmill, while her mother was an elementary school teacher.[12] During her childhood, Underwood had performed at Robbins Memorial Talent Show while also singing at the Free Will Baptist Church and later on for local events in Checotah, including Old Settler's Day and the Lion's Club.[13] In 1996, she was in the process of getting a contract with Capitol Records, but the deal was canceled when the recording company's management changed.

Education

Underwood graduated from Checotah High School in 2001 as salutatorian. After high school, she attended Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, graduating magna cum laude in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in mass communication and an emphasis in journalism. Underwood is a member of the Alpha Iota chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. For two years during the summer, she performed in Northeastern State University's Downtown Country show in Tahlequah. She also competed in numerous beauty pageants at the university and was selected as Miss NSU runner-up in 2004.